We must resist this despicable ban and force our own Government to do the same

29 January 2017

There have been horrifying stories coming from the US in the past 24 hours on the impact of President Donald Trump's executive order to ban entry to citizens from a number of majority Muslim countries. Many British citizens have been caught up in the policy and prominent Brits including Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi and Olympic Gold Medalist Sir Mo Farah being among those banned.

Tower Hamlets Green Party Co-Chair Alex Britten said: "It is despicable that this has even managed to come to pass. Trump has enacted an extremely regressive, racist and discriminatory policy which amounts to a ban on Muslims and is causing despair and chaos across the world. Not only is the US going back its responsibility to take the most vulnerable refugees, but it is even blocking those who are legally entitled the entry the country.

Our own government should be doing far more, and not just for British citizens. Instead of spending her visit praising the new President, Theresa May should have been holding him to account on his most egrigious policies. The least we should expect now is for the Primer Minister to condemn the action and lobby for it to be overturned. We value the huge contribution Muslim citizens make to life in Tower Hamlets. Like the Green Party's co-leaders Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley, we will be supporting tomorrow's emergency demonstration at Downing Street to force our government to act."

Information on the emergency demo at Downing Street at 6pm on Monday 30 January: